German league chief executive says clubs would not dare raise prices in the
way which is leading fans to protest to the Premier League in England

Angry fans marching on the Premier League’s headquarters over ticket prices were given more ammunition for their fight on Wednesday night when the head of the Bundesliga said German supporters would kick up a “huge s---storm” if their clubs increased even the cost of a bratwurst.

Christian Seifert, chief executive of the Premier League’s biggest rival, said that fans from the home of the world champions would not tolerate prices being raised at their clubs, whom he hailed for their “common-sense” approach to generating revenue from ticket sales.

Speaking in Dusseldorf during a presentation celebrating the Bundesliga’s role in helping his country win this summer’s World Cup, Seifert compared German football’s approach to running its affairs to that of budget supermarket Aldi, boasting of its “holistic” attitude and the emphasis it placed on doing its part to improve “society”.

Seifert claimed that meant clubs such as Bayern Munich and BorussiaDortmund capping prices far below what they could actually sell tickets for, conscious that to do otherwise would provoke a furious backlash.

He said: “Every year in magazines, you see double pages about the price of tickets, bratwurst and beer and everyone gets a huge s---storm if they raise the price of a bratwurst by 10 per cent. The concept of Aldi was invented in Germany: very cheap, but a lot.”

Seifert’s words will chime with the Football Supporters’ Federation, who will on Thursday lead a second mass protest in as many summers over the cost of watching matches in England.

Prices have increased every year for a decade and this season Premier League clubs will charge an average of £526 for their lowest-priced adult season tickets, an annual rise of 6.5 per cent.

In stark contrast, German fans can watch Bundesliga champions Bayern all season for only £104 – less than the price of some tickets for a single Arsenal game.

The Bundesliga chief said it was “common sense” for his clubs to keep prices low, detailing how it was a key part of the strategy that helped German sides win the World Cup and Champions League.

“Welcome to the league where World Cup winners are made,” he said at the start of a presentation entitled “The German Way to Success”, which interspersed footage of Germany’s triumph in Brazil with their players starring in the Bundesliga.

Seifert suggested that the revolution in youth development begun in his country at the start of this century had helped keep wages low in the Bundesliga, describing academy players as “relatively cheap”.

He said clubs spent only 39 per cent of their revenues on wages, half the figure in the Premier League.

But he also highlighted the sense of civic responsibility displayed by German clubs when it came to how much they charge their fans.

“From our perspective, seven of 10 people think that the Bundesliga is important for society,” he said. “We have a bigger responsibility.”